Friday, February 28, 2014

Recently our owner, Ted, took Tom to the vet. Tom is our shop's resident mascot cat, who was a stray that was found years ago, roaming the streets of Downtown Cleveland. Now he lives happily among the rolls of rubber, stacks of wood mounts, and other stamp-making materials and equipment in our production area.

While they were at the vet's office, Ted snapped a few photos of some cute designs painted on the wall near the main desk area, including this one:

Take a look at the check he's holding in his paw:

But that's not the only form of payment that "Dr. All Better" accepts. Isn't this picture just "priceless":

Yeah, because Opurrah is using a MasterDog card (ha ha!):

Of course, if you own cats like we do, you know that most of their time isn't spent shopping but rather sleeping:

(By the way, if you'd like to purchase a t-shirt with the above design, you can do that here. We're not affiliated in any way; I just wanted to mention where I found this cartoon.)

Our own Oscar and Boo definitely do their share of lounging around. Oscar has a habit of laying around in funny positions when he snoozes:

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Have you ever seen a never-ending card? This clever design, which is featured on the main Inky website this week, has always fascinated me. Basically, the front looks like a divided card:

When you push the sides or top/bottom back and open the folds in the middle, you reveal a hidden panel:

Open it again to show another one:

And do the same to see the fourth side:

Honestly I have no idea what makes it work, but it just magically turns out every single time. I think it's super cool...and we've got a metal die from our new Crafty Cutts collection that helps you create it:

Want to see all four sides as it's opened "live"? Please click here to watch a video showing how to assemble the Never-Ending Square, as well a demonstration of the Sick Birdy example being opened again and again. You can also download a PDF file with written instructions and step-by-step photos.

If you happen to live in or near Monrovia, California, I'll be teaching a class featuring the Never-Ending Square and Square Cage Dies next Thursday, March 6th (plus a HoneyPOP class later that evening) at Scrap N' Yap.

I'd love the opportunity to see you at this wonderful store and show you how to make some awesome cards using our Crafty Cutts and HoneyPOP products! For more information, please click here and then contact Scrap N' Yap directly to sign up.

Friday, February 21, 2014

Inky friends, today's post isn't meant to be humorous. Instead, I'm using this forum to share a couple of YouTube videos with you, which I found in a rather roundabout way.

As you may remember, last summer Steve and I joined a fitness studio called Fit4Life. We've really been enjoying it...well, if you can call exercise "enjoyable" (that's a tall order for me!). But overall it's been a great experience.

Since then, we've lost about 25 and 15 pounds, respectively, by exercising and eating better. Recently we started a Paleo eating plan, mainly to focus our attention on having more whole foods (veggies, protein, good fats, and fruit) and less processed junk as a way to help support our overall well-being.

And, in the comments section, another reader had shared the link to this second video. It actually brought tears to my eyes when I watched it:

To me, the most important takeaway is to appreciate the natural beauty in ourselves. It's not that we can't strive to be healthier or set other positive goals. But please never underestimate how lovely you are, just the way you are, right this very moment!

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Last month, you saw several cards from our Love & Friendship collection, drawn by artist Trudy Sjolander. One of them was this cute little fella, shown in an adorable card that True made herself:

He's the "wiggle" part of 11231MC Wiggle & Purr Clear Set:

Of course, we can't forget about the "purr" counterpart that True also created:

Pretty Kitty is also available in wood mounted (1392J), along with the Heart Purr saying (1120D), and you can find the coordinating printed papers shown above at the bottom of this page.

For Valentine's Day, Debbie Fisher had made a meow-valous treat bag, decorated with the stamps from this clear set:

I'd meant to post it before February 14th (oops!), but really you could easily revise this project to celebrate
birthdays, weddings, and other occasions throughout the year. What an adorable party favor or even a "just because" treat to hand out. I'll bet that would brighten anyone's day!

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Last week, Punxsutawney Phil predicted that we will have six more weeks of winter. But I like the notion of celebrating spring early...the stamping way!

The field and forest scenes from 11220MC Bear & Bees Clear Set (drawn by artist Nancy Baier) remind me of balmy weather and the soothing sounds of nature:

This bear is enjoying his time in the berry patch, with a feathered friend looking on:

Nancy stamped the image in black ink and watercolored it, adding touches of sparkle from a glitter pen on the berries. The floral designer paper complements this card nicely, creating a cheerful yet serene look.

If you want things even simpler, check out this striking variation, which is also stamped in black but not colored in this time, allowing the pre-printed background to show through:

These stamps, as well as the rest of the Scissor-Cut Scenes collection, work equally well for coloring in or choosing to leave as is. I love how the strong lines and bold silhouettes allow such flexibility!

Again, here's an example of coloring the image, as Nancy did with alcohol markers:

And another version of stamping but not coloring, with a lighter-toned stamped background that echoes the main panel:

The last card above is part of this month's sample board for our Inky Store Board Program, featuring all of the Scissor-Cut Scenes stamps:

If you'd like to check it out in person, click here for a list of stores who received the February shipment.

We encourage you to call ahead to verify they have these stamps in stock, and then please visit them to make your purchase. However, if you're unable to find a local retailer carrying these stamps, you may also order them online from us.

By the way, do you know a local stamp or scrapbook store that might be interested in our board program? Please ask them to email me for details. If they sign up for it and provide your name as a referral at that time, I'll send you a thank-you gift!

I sure hope he's wrong...but, either way, let's have a few groundhog-related laughs!

St. Peter's Question

Three blondes died in an accident trying to skydive over the Grand Canyon. They are now at the pearly gates of Heaven, and St. Peter tells them that they can enter the gates only if they can answer one simple religious question.
The question posed by St. Peter is "What is Easter?"

The first blonde replies, "Oh, that's easy! It's the holiday in November when we all get together, eat turkey, and are thankful."

"Wrong! You are not welcome here, I'm afraid. You must go to the other place," replies St. Peter. Then he turns to the second blonde, and asks her the same question. "What is Easter?"

The second blonde replies, "Easter is the holiday in December when we put up a nice tree, exchange presents, and celebrate the birth of Jesus."

St. Peter looks at the second blonde, bangs his head on the pearly gates in disgust, and tells her she's wrong and will have to join her friend in the other place; she is not welcome in Heaven.
He then peers over his glasses at the third blonde and asks, "Do you know what Easter is?"

The third blonde smiles confidently and looks St. Peter in the eyes. "I know what Easter is," she states.

"Oh?" says St. Peter, incredulously.

She continues,
"Easter is the Christian holiday that coincides with the Jewish celebration of Passover. Jesus and his disciples were eating at the last supper and Jesus was later deceived and turned over to the Romans by one of his disciples. The Romans took him to be crucified and he was stabbed in the side, made to wear a crown of thorns, and hung on a cross with nails through his hands and feet. He was buried in a nearby cave, which was sealed off by a large boulder."

St. Peter smiles broadly with delight.
Then the third blonde continues: "Every year, the boulder is moved aside so that Jesus can come out. If he sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter!"

Q: What would you get if you crossed Groundhog Day with a puppy?
A: Ground-dog Day!

Q: What would you get if you crossed Groundhog Day with a Christmas drink?
A: Ground Nog Day!

Q: Why was the groundhog depressed about his den?
A: He was having a bad lair day!

Q: Where do sick groundhogs go?
A: To the hogpital

Q: What do you call a groundhog that is adopted from the Humane Society?
A: A poundhog

Within days of receiving her prize, she used this stamp set to make a flower that adorned her recycled Sephora store bag covered with Simple Stories Vintage Bliss designer paper...and then she added an adorable, coordinating card that was decorated with more Inky stamps.

"I am a beauty junkie and rubber stamp junkie," Karen confessed. "If I come home one day and there is a film crew from Hoarders, they will either be in my craft room or in my vanity table.
However, I do not want an intervention for either of my addictions."

As you know, a great thing about the HoneyPOP clear stamp sets and honeycomb paper pads is that you can mix and match them to get all sorts of neat effects. This flower, for example, is a much bolder look than above, yet lovely too:

But, of course, you can always change it up to reflect whatever season, occasion, or color theme you wish...just like Michelle did here:

Have you taken a look at our newest HoneyPOP stamp sets
yet? You can find them by going to our What's New page and clicking on the "Go" button.

There are lots of wonderful regular sets, as well. But this week I'd like to do a BLOG CANDY drawing focusing on the HoneyPOP Collection in particular. Just leave me a comment telling me know which new HoneyPOP set is your very favorite one, and that will serve as your entry.

On Sunday, February 9th, I'll randomly choose the winner and post the lucky person's name here on the blog, so please check back to see if you've won!

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